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1. d4 This is the direct clash for the first place, Ivanchuk being in the favorable position, that is why we can expect a sharp game by Magnus. 1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 We are seeing Nimzo on the board, with possibility to continue with Ragozin if ...d5 is played now. 4... b6 Nimzo continues, expected is the popular Qc2 move. Queen is best placed on c2, just as explained by GM Henrik Danielsen here 5. Qc2 Bb7 So far a repetition of Carlsen - Anand 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 Usualy one of the main ideas in this kind of position is to take advatage of the pair of bishops ,especially white wants to activaite dark square bishop and retreat the bishop on b7 7... Ne4 Ivanchuk deviates, in view of Carlsen's last game. There after O-O came Bg5. Coincidence for me to comment two games of Carlsen, and both to be in the same opening, but luckily they will be different from early stage. Last time Carlsen chose Bg5 plan. Today we will see Bg5 or g3-Bg2 probably is better than b4-Bb2 comapred to the line 1d4-Nf6 2c4-e6 3 Nf3-Bb4 4 Nbd2 white plays without tempo. This time on the board we have ...Ne4 interesting idea, Ivanchuk is going to play a similar setup to 1d4-Nf6 2c4-e6 3 Nf3-Bb4 4 Nbd2 but with tempo up for him. After Ne4 he avoids Bg5 plan now Magnus might chose g3-Bg2 8. Qc2 f5 9. g3 Yes, Magnus goes for the plan mentioned with g3-Bg2 9... Nf6 After 9...Nf6 Black has to retreat the knight because after Bg2 white has idea play Ng5 or Nd2. Usually, the bishop will come to e4 square. 10. Bh3 The idea of this move is simple : normally black puts the bishop on e4 and main idea of white is improve position in the center like Nd2-f3-e4-d5 taking space and activaiting the dark square bishop, but after Nd2 black can exchanges white square bishops on g2. After that white loses the advatage of pair of bishops. So with Bh3 probably Magnus wants to play Nd2 at some point without exchanging bishops. 10... O-O 11. O-O Now maybe Qe8-Qh5 plan is not bad. 11... a5 After 11...a5 move usually white has to play b3 to avoid a4 move because after a4 black fixes the structure on the queen side and for white is much harder to improve the position there, Magnus can play 12. b3 or maybe just not lose time and try somehow in the center ( d4-d5 ) 12. Rd1 Probably he is going for d5 without any b3-Bb2. When the bishop is on b2 white in many cases can sacrafice pawn after d5 and get active play and pressing by diagonal a1-h8 12... Qe8 Now d5 looks natural. 13. d5 Black will go for Na6-Nc5 13... Na6 Now is interesting to see where Magnus will put his bishops (b3-Bb2 or Bf4), but Capablanca said that bishop is a piece that is developed at all time. 14. Bf4 14. Bf4 Qh5 15. Bg2 exd5 16. Nd4 with unclear position. Maybe now 14...Rc8 to protect on c7 and try Nc5-Ne4 and if 15. d6 then 15...e5!? Anoth option is or 14...d6 15. dxe6 Be4 16. Qc3 Nc5 and in this case the bishop on f4 looks worse than on b2. Also if 14...d6 15. Ng5 Nc5 16. b4 h6 17. bxc5 hxg5 18. Bxg5 with some complications on the board. Usually in this kind of position black tries to put pawns on dark squares (for example d6-e5) to reduce activity of white dark square bishop and white tries to put on white squares to do the same with the bishop on b7. In some cases when the bishop is on b2 and white plays d5, black respond e5, then white tries to play f4 to open diagonal a1-h8 14... exd5 Positional mistake by Ivanchuk, the position gets opened and the bishops become very strong. 15. Bxf5 dxc4 16. Ng5 white can get strong attack. Also now 16. Qxc4 gives white advantage because after exchange in center position is more open and white bishops are stronger. 16Ng5 g6 17.Bxd7! ,Nxd7 18. Qc4 Kg7 19. Ne6 Kh8 20. Rxd7 Qxd7 21. Nxf8 Rxf8 22. Be5 +- 16. Ng5 16Ng5 Qh5 17. Rd4! with some idea Rh4 and other pieces coming to press the black king. White pieces get very active and now it is hard to defend the black king, also the knight on a6 is bit far from fight. 16... Qh5 17. Rxd7 or 17. Rd4 both moves looks promissing for white 17. Rxd7 Of course more human move is 17.Rxd7 but let's give chance to Magnus to show his great calculation skills. Black has to play 17...Kh8 if 17...Nxd7 then 18. Bxh7 Kh8 19. Bg6 and black loses queen. 17... Kh8 Now white has a few moves,18. Rd4 looks natural, but also 18. Rad1 is interesting because if black wins the exchange after 18...Nxd7 black king will be weaker (knight on f6 helps defend) and white should easily get the final attack against king. 18. Re7 Nd5 19. Bg4 Qg6 20. Nf7 Kg8 21. Bf5 Qxf5 22. Qxf5 Nxe7 23. Nh6 ghx6 24. Qg4 Ng6 25. Bxh6 Rf7 26. f4 with pressure, 26...Re8 27. h5 Bc8 28. Qxc4 Ne5 and black still fighting. Magnus is choosing beetwen 19. Bg4 and 19. Re5. Note: Next event for Carlsen and Ivanchuk: Mikhail Tal 2011, later Ivanchuk also plays ETCC 2011. 19. Bg4 Qg6 Following the line in the commentary above. 20. Nf7+ Kg8 21. Bf5 or repetition after 21. Nh6 Kh8 22. Nf7 21. Bf5 Qxf5 22. Qxf5 Nxe7 23. Nh6+ gxh6 24. Qg4+ Ng6 25. Bxh6 Rf7 Black has a lot pieces for a queen, but problem for them is king sfety and very weak dark squares around it. White also has a lot of pawns on king side which he can improve (it is good to put pawns on white squares) 26. Rd1 The next will be h4-h5, black must hurry to improve pieces and get some coordiation of them like Re8-Nc5, Bc8 etc... 26... Re8 27. h4 Nc5 28. h5 Bc8 29. Qxc4 The position is unpleasant for black because white controls the dark squares, my intuition says that one of white's ideas can be to include the rook somehow to press the black king, also what I said before white can put pawns on white squares like h5-f3-g4 to take more space. More important is not to put pawns on dark squares because then black can have great blockade on white squares and chance for conterplay. 29... Ne5 30. Qh4 Nc6 30...Nc6 looks strange, black should keep pieces closer to the weak king. Now as I said before white can play Rd5 and include the rook in the attack to the black king. Anyway, with so little time it is hard to defend the position for Ivanchuk. 31. Rd5 Ne6 32. Qc4 Ncd8 a mistake now white can play 33. Qg4 Kh8 34. Bd2 with idea Bc3 33. Qg4+ Ng7 34. Qxc8 And Magnus Carlsen wins the game to tie with Ivanchuk at the top position and make the last round of the event very exciting. 1-0